Chic, Stylish, and Living With Multiple Sclerosis

When I was a teenager, the dilemma I faced every day was “what to wear.” Now that I’m 51 and will soon be marking my 32nd year with multiple sclerosis (MS), that dilemma has become “how to wear it.” But 32 years with MS have made me an expert at making dressing not a conundrum but something enjoyable.

This summer, for example, I attended my 30th college reunion, and I had to assemble sensible clothes to take along for the three-day trip. Because MS has trained me well, the first thing I always do is check the weather. I suppose people without MS would do the same thing, but those of us with MS have some added challenges in dealing with heat and sometimes cold. If it is too hot and muggy, a cooling vest is an important accessory.

Always keeping in mind that form follows function, I began packing.

Buttons: How to Avoid or Embrace Them

One of the most annoying objects on clothing for me nowadays are buttons. When it’s after 2 p.m. and I have to deal with buttons or zippers, it is impossible to make my fingers do the job! Fatigue and numbness can be an issue for many of us with MS. However, if you decide that your favorite piece cannot be excluded and it has buttons, never fear. An internet search will lead you right to button hooks, which are clever inventions that make buttoning simple. Sometimes I’ll pre-button something so I can just pull it over my head.

Going with the theme of no buttons allows one to pack nice T-shirts that can look amazing with slacks or skirts. One of the most versatile and simple things that has become a favorite after my trip are yoga pants. I like simple yoga pants, which have no buttons or zippers; they are just pull-ups. This is good news for people with MS who have bladder issues: Pull-ups are easy.

These pants come in a variety of styles and colors. The legs can be boot leg, straight leg, or Capri style. I loved matching these with a variety of T-shirts. At a formal occasion I wore black yoga pants, dark shoes, a nice T-shirt, and a tan leather jacket. I completed the whole ensemble with a colorful cotton scarf. Since it was warm with chilly evenings, my ensemble was perfect! This was easy enough to do to make a comfortable outfit that made me feel chic!

You get the picture. Mix and match is definitely the name of the game: different rayon-blend T-shirts, cotton scarfs, light jackets or light sweaters, and various easy-to-pack yoga pants. Men can certainly pack a variation on this; the thinking is similar for either sex.

The health and medical information on our website is not intended to take the place of advice or treatment from health care professionals. It is also not intended to substitute for the users’ relationships with their own health care/pharmaceutical providers.